Followed C P ' s lead and found this info Darth -
Most flavour molecules, that we detect with our receptors on our tongues, are fat soluble. During cooking, some of the molecules are dissolved into the fats and oils present in the food, but cooking is a relatively quick event given the size of some of these flavour molecules. Thermodynamics come to our aid in that given enough time most anything will mix themselves together, heat just speeds up the process of distribution. So your curry from yesterday tastes better as more of the flavour molecules leak out of their confines (perhaps the cells of the food item) into the fats and oils they are soaking in. Then your tongue becomes coated in the fats/oils where the taste sensors can come into contact with the flavour molecules, in a higher concentration than yesterday. This explains why on the whole, foods with the fat removed appear less flavourful unless the recipe is modified to counter the loss. The fats and oils also act to hold the taste to the tongue for longer than say, water soluble flavours. So there you go!
